Electrotherapeutic device



Nov. 8, 1927. 1,648,116

5. s. EBEL ELECTRO THERAPEUT I C DEVI CE Filed April 1926 lA/Vd'A/TORPatented Nov. 8,; 1927.

, siren STATES t 1,648,116 PATENT OFFICE.

SEGFD UEL EIBEL, F VIENNA, AU STBIL' ELECTEO'IHEBAPEUTIC DEVICE.

Application 'flled April.20, 1926, Serial No. 103,370, and in AustriaApril- 20, 1925.

This invention relates to improvements .in 1

contact-arm eii'ects an automatically and slowly increasing anddecreasing faradic current,- in order to decrease the disagreeablefeeling of the usual faradic current. In these known devices therheostat, causing the slow increase and decrease of the faradic current,either is connected with the apparatus producing the current or forms aseparate additional device. 7

In the device according to the present invention the said slow increaseand decrease takes place in a proper sine curve and therefore any suddenalteration of current and shocks which would be painful to the patientcannot occur. For these reasons in the device according to the presentinvention the current, employed for the treatment is increased veryslowly without any disturbance of the protoplasm and shocks to themuscles owing to sudden current-shocks and there-v fore considerablystronger currents can beused which of course cause a more quick andthrough treatment without anypain.

According to the present invention the periods of vibration of theinterrupter slow- 1y increase and decreasein dependency on the rheostat.

One mode of carrying out the present invention is illustrateddiagrammatically in Fig. 1 on the accompanying sheet of drawings, whileFigure 2 illustrates the waveform of the current.

The working current is supplied by dry cells 1. which are connected toacounter 3, -whereby a switch 2 is interposed between the cells and thecounter, in order to switch-on one or more or all cells. From thecounter the current passes to the coils 4 ofan interrupter, whichconsists. of a double-armed lever 6 pivotally secured to a shaft 7. Thefree endofthe lever 6 carries a soft-iron member 8, which is attractedby the cores of the coils 4 during the passage of the current.

At the bottom side of the lever 6 is provided 7 a plate spring 9 onwhich rests a contact pin 10, the latter may be moved forward orbackward by a rack 11 and a toothed wheel .12, so that according to thedistance of the contact pin 10 from the pivotal axis 7 'the lever 6carries out larger or smaller oscillations or performs interruptionsof'thecurrent for a shorter or longer time and therefore imparts adiflerent characteristic to the sameaccording to requirement.

This interrupter, which can be readily adjusted, is conductivelyconnected with a contact-arm 14 of the rheostat by a Wire 13 and aresilient sliding member. The rheostat consists of .a circularspiral-wound resistancewire 16, which is connected with a number ofcontact studs 17, on which slides the arm 14. The contact studs 17 atthe right and left hand sides and disposed at the same height correspondto the switching on of like resistances. At the lowest stud a resistanceis not'swit'ched on, While at the diametrically opposed studs mm themaximum resistance is switched on. At this place the resistance wire isinterrupted, so that the studs m m are insulated from each other.

The-contact-arm It is rotated by a clockwork, which can be wound up b acrank.

The speed of unwindin the 0100 work can be varied by a brake, w ich canbe adjusted by a screw, so that the contact-arm 14 can rotate over thecontact-studs 17 at a faster or slower pace according to requirement orcan be stopped temporarily for obtaining a uniformly flowing current.

The primary winding21 of the induction coil, necessary for producing thefaradic current, is connected'directly with thecells 1 and with theresistance Wire 162.1; the bottom stud. From the secondary winding 22-,in

which is disposed an adjustable iron-core 23 for varying the intensityof the faradic current, pass wires to electrodes 29, which are attachedto the human body. I

The. adjustment of the. iron-core '23 may be accomplished by a rotatableknob- 24,

which operates a roller -25, over the latter passing strings 26 securedto both ends of the core 23. The knob 24' is provided with a pointeroperating on a dial, in order'to indicate the adjustment of theiron-core 23.

A device of this kind can be greatly varied by varying the number ofinterruptions and independent therefrom the number of rotations of thecontact-arm 14.

According to the'present invention in a device of this kind theinterrupter and rheostat are connected in'series or behind each other insuch a manner, that the switchingon of the resistances ofthe rheostatalso acts on-the interrupter, so that on switchingon a weak resistance,thus on the passage of a stronger current, the interrupter carries outlarger and correspondingly slower oscillations, while on switching-onestronger resistance the oscillations of the interrupter are smaller andquicker.

Fig. 2 illustrates graphically-the rhythmic alterations of the intensityof current and it will be seen, that sudden current-shocks cannot takeplace, but that the increase and decrease of the faradic current isgradual or uniform, so that the said faradic current is quite painless.

Fig. 2 also shows, that at a certain adjusted length of theinterrupter-lever 6, 9, which-is carried out independent of the numberof rotations of the rheostat, the frequency of the interrupter dependson the position of the contact-arm 14 at the wire 16 of the rheostat.

The connecting electrodes are sub-divided, in order to correspondinglydistribute the effect of the current.

The device is quite independent of heavy current, as it can be rea 'lyworked with dry cells. p

Contrary to the known electro-therapeutlc devices, in the deviceaccording to the present invention the oscillations of the interrupter,taking place within the sine curve, adapt themselves to the work of therheostat and also may be regulated independent of.

the rheostat. The insulated adjustment of the speed-of rotation of thearm rotating on the rheostat and the interruptions at the oscillatinglever, as well as'the stepped co-.

operation of the components which are of consequence for the effect ofthe current are a feature of the present invention, as well as of greatimportance forv the therapeutic treatment.

1. An .electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga source of current, aninterrupter connected with the saidsource ofcurrent, an automatic and uni formly variable rheostat connected withthe interrupter, and induction means connected with the rheostat and thesource of current, the vibrations of the interrupter slowly increasingand decreasing in dependency on the rheostat. v

2. An electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga source of current, an interrupter connected with the source ofcurrent, an automatic and uniformly variable rheostatfconnectedimmediately behind the interrupter, and induction means the primarywinding ofwhich is connected with therheostat and the source of current,the vibrations of the interrupter source of current, a rheoflat providedwith rupter' independent of the number of rotations of the saidcontact-arm, and induction means connected with the rheostat and thesource of current. v

5. An electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga source of current, an interrupter connected with the source ofcurrent, the said interrupter comprising coils, a pivotally mounteddoublearmed lever provlded with a soft-iron member at one end and aplate-spring at the otherend thereof, a contact-pm operatin on the saidspring, a rack to which the said contact-pin is secured, and a toothedwheel for operating the rack, a rheostat provided .with a positivelyrotating c'ontactarm con nected immediately behind the interrupter,

andinduction means connected with the rheostat and the, source ofcurrent.

6. An electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga dry cell, a counter connected with the latter, a switch interposed inthe connection between the cell and the counter, an interrupterconnected with thecounter, an automatic and uniformly variable rheostatconnected with the interrupter, and induction means connected with therheostat and the dry cell.

7. An electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga source of current,-.an interrupter connected with the source ofcurrent, a rheostat connected immediately behind the interrupter, thesaid rheostat comprising a positively rotating contact-arm, a circularspiral-wound-resistance-wire, and a number of contact-studs connectedwith the resistance-wire, and induction means connected with therheostat andthe source of current.

V 8. An electro therapeutic device of the character described,comprising a source of current, an interrupter connected with the sourceof current, an automatic and umformly variable rheostat connectedimmediately behind the interrupter, and induction means connected withthe rheostat and the source of current, the said induction means co mrising a primary winding, a secondary ing, an adjustable iron-corewithin the f latter,-and,meana for adjusting the said core guano I forvarying the intensity of the faradic, current. v

9. An electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga source 01' current, an interrupter connected 'with the sourceofcurrent, means on the interrupter for regulating the frequency of theinter-.

rupter, an automatic and uniformly variable rheostateonnectedimmediately behind the interrupter, the said rheostat comprising arotating contact-arm, a circular spiralwound resistance-wire, and anumber of contact-studs connected with the resistancewire, and inductionmeans connected with the rheostat and the source of current.

10. An electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga source of current, an interrupter connected with the source ofcurrent, a rheostat connected immediately behind the interrupter, andinduc-' tion means connected with t e rheostat and the source ofcurrent, the said induction means comprising a primary winding, asecondary' winding, an adjustable iron-core within the latter, and meansfor adjusting the said core for varying the intensity of r the faradiccurrent, the said means com llS- ing'a rotatable knob, a roller operateby the latter, and a string passing over the roller and secured to bothends of the said core.

11 An electro-therapeutic device of the character described, comprisinga source of current, an interrupter connected with the SIEGFRIED SAMUELEnEL.

